County approves $242.4 million budget

By MATTHEW BEATON | The News Herald

Published: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 09:49 PM.

PANAMA CITY— With little discussion, the Bay County Commission approved its tentative $242.4 million budget — a 4.45 percent increase over last year — for fiscal year 2013-14, which includes $1,000 one-time pay supplements for some county employees.

The board also voted to keep millage rates the same for the next fiscal year.

The bonus money will go toward County Commission employees, as well as Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Property Appraiser employees. The clerk of court, supervisor of elections and tax collector all said they did not want the extra money, so it was not added to their budgets.

The commission chambers were nearly empty for the Tuesday afternoon meeting and no one spoke during the public hearings before the budget and millage were voted on. Both were approved unanimously, but the commission must hold another budget meeting Sept. 17 to give final approval.

“The board could change things at that meeting, but usually it doesn’t change,” said Ashley Stukey, county budget officer. “Once we come out of this (meeting), this pretty much is your budget.”

The county’s overall budget growth is due, in part, to additional half-cent sales tax revenue sharing from the state, an increase in taxable property values for its general fund, a rise in bed tax collections, a recent land sale of $718,200, and — most importantly — the county’s takeover of emergency medical services (EMS).

The budget for EMS will be $7.1 million for the county’s inaugural year running the service. The county is expecting the service to turn a profit, based on consultants’ analyses. Starting Oct. 1 — the beginning of the new fiscal year — the county will begin handling EMS operations.

PANAMA CITY— With little discussion, the Bay County Commission approved its tentative $242.4 million budget — a 4.45 percent increase over last year — for fiscal year 2013-14, which includes $1,000 one-time pay supplements for some county employees.

The board also voted to keep millage rates the same for the next fiscal year.

The bonus money will go toward County Commission employees, as well as Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Property Appraiser employees. The clerk of court, supervisor of elections and tax collector all said they did not want the extra money, so it was not added to their budgets.

The commission chambers were nearly empty for the Tuesday afternoon meeting and no one spoke during the public hearings before the budget and millage were voted on. Both were approved unanimously, but the commission must hold another budget meeting Sept. 17 to give final approval.

“The board could change things at that meeting, but usually it doesn’t change,” said Ashley Stukey, county budget officer. “Once we come out of this (meeting), this pretty much is your budget.”

The county’s overall budget growth is due, in part, to additional half-cent sales tax revenue sharing from the state, an increase in taxable property values for its general fund, a rise in bed tax collections, a recent land sale of $718,200, and — most importantly — the county’s takeover of emergency medical services (EMS).

The budget for EMS will be $7.1 million for the county’s inaugural year running the service. The county is expecting the service to turn a profit, based on consultants’ analyses. Starting Oct. 1 — the beginning of the new fiscal year — the county will begin handling EMS operations.

Under the approved budget, the county’s general fund also will grow, reaching $88.4 million, an increase of 5.1 percent. It will continue to be funded by a 3.65 millage rate. In recent years, the fund has bled cash, losing about $6 million annually, as revenues fell below expenses and the county tapped cash reserves to cover the shortfall.

After the meeting, Stukey said he did not know how much cash the county would need to cover the gap in the general fund next year. He said the county went “down to the wire” getting the budget ready to present to the board, so he didn’t know the figure.

The budget came in at about $1.5 million more than what the county had posted on its website before the meeting. The board was set to receive a $240.7 million budget, but it was altered at the last minute.

That was partly because money was moved out of the general fund and into the transportation fund to add to the road resurfacing program, Stukey told the board. It also was to account for the sale of the $718,200 piece of property.

Millage approved

The board unanimously passed its tentative millage rate of 4.1076 mills for the new fiscal year. A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

As it stands now, Bay County’s rate will be the fourth lowest millage rate out of Florida’s 67 counties, Stukey said. Only Monroe, Okaloosa and Sarasota have a lower rate.

We’re “shooting for No. 1,” said Commissioner Bill Dozier in the meeting.

The approved millage rate was actually 1.8 percent less than the proposed roll-back rate, Stukey said. The roll-back rate is the tax rate needed to keep revenue the same.

The board action keeps the general fund at 3.65 mills — .1155 mills of which will go toward the public health unit — mosquito control at .1525 mills, and the fire protection tax at 1 mill.

Mosquito control and fire protection millages aren’t collected throughout the entire county.

The millage rate has been the same since fiscal year 2008-09, something Chairman George Gainer was quick to point out. Back in fiscal year 2005-06, the millage rate for the general fund was 5.6620 mills.